The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1887-09-10
PROHIBITION IN ATLANTA.

fhUniBllIUA IN ATLANTA.
The Atlanta Avalanche has in.
teryiewed a large number of busi-
ness men in that city as 10 the eff
feet Of prohibition upon business.
The following are samples Of the
replies:
Michael Lynch, books and sta
tlOnary-I have nothing to do
with the liquor traffic, | do not
drink pint in five years. The as
sessment on my real estate has
been increased 81 per cent, and
my rents have decreased in the
same ratio since prohibition went
into effect; and / tind difficulty in
getting tenants at reduced rates,
and SO many working men have
left the city,seeking employment ;
and so many men of capital have
transferred their investments to
other cities.
| have lived in Atlanta thirty
four years. know prohibition has
hurt me.
l.. NJ. Ives.-The demand for
real estate does not begin to com.
pare with that of two years ago.
Property, forced to sale now,
would not bring within % per cent
of what 1t would three years ago.
Atlanta has not prospered under
the prohibition regime, in the face
of the fact that all the towns
around her have greatly increased
in prosperity.
James Lynch am IN no way
connected with the liquor trade.
My rents have decreased $500 per
month since prohibition went into
force. / find it difficult to rent,
and am compelled to rent to some
tenants who otherwise would have
been refused. My property is 10.
Gated on the best business streets
in Atlanta.
| determined to improve my
property, and had commenced
building business houses, but the
effect of prohibition caused me to
stop aud to invest $4,000 else.
where.
81 have several valuable busl.
ness and dwelling houses lying
idle, which before prohibition were
always occupied aud paid me GOOD
rent.
Thomas j. Healy--Never was
interested in the sale OF liquor I;
haven't drank q quart in five years.
My rents have fallen off $4,000
since prohibition went into force
l have now six good stores, in
good business locations, which arc
unoccupied. / had 100000 brick
for the construction of an opera
house on my lot, corner of For.
sythe and Walton, but the result
of prohibition caused me to trans
fer all my building operations out
side of Atlanta, where | have
spent considerable money and [
am still building.
j. Steinheimor wholesale tobac.
co and cigars. City trade and
collections have fallen off 80 per
cent. Have been on Wall street
one year; one store on each side of
me has been for rent ever since.
From personal observation, there
is as much Drunkenness IN Atlanta
as before prohibition went into
force.
L. De Give, proprietor of De
Give opera house.
The exodus from our city from
July 1856 to July 1, 1887, has
been very large, and | can give
one proof which is very con.
clusiye. Among my tenants |
have two parties dealing in second
hand furniture, Mr.. Ives, aud Mr..
Haygood. auctioneer. During that
year they have been overwhelm.
ed with offers of furniture for sale,
but there was no demand what
ever for same. Their stores were
ehockfull with these articles, but
nobody would come to buy, and
they had to stop purchasing.
The auetioneer offered for sale his
goods on the streets for months
and then stopped in despair.
You have seen that since July |,
1886, we have nearly ceased build
ing in Atlanta. If it had not been
for the driving park exposition,
the capital. anb the United States
barracks, our laboring classes
would have been very miserable.
You know how many stores are
vacant. On Wheat street we
have the John Thompson blocks
seven brick stores together. Be.
fore prohibition they were all
rented at $40 a piece per month.
Now they are all standing, and
have been fer months, with one
single tenant in it, and thls tenant
has taken two of them for S15 per
month instead of $40, the balance
could be rented, l believe, for $40
apiece.
Does prohibition prohibit
Well, to some extent, yes; and
this is the only extenuating side
to il. 1t is certain that among the
lowest classes many men have